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Enough dairy subsidies! Plant milk is better for us and the planet. So why do we keep subsidizing dairy? | Mother Jones (www.motherjones.com)
submitted 2 years ago by to c/vegan@slrpnk.net
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[–] 12 points 2 years ago (3 children)

This article's title states that plant milks are better for us then mentions oat. That is simply not true. No where near the comparable amount of nutrients and protein. Soy milk is the only viable replacement.

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    • [–] 12 points 2 years ago (7 children)

    Because dairy farmers are so indebted that even a small shortfall of revenue could mean ruin. The system can't stop or there will be massive financial collapse in that segment of the population. There needs to be a one-time government buyback of dairy assets if you want to end the cycle, and get these farmers out of their debt. Otherwise, the system will be perpetuated.

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  • [–] 11 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Then they should fail. It's not like they haven't had years and years and years to make changes. The world is changing. Keep up or get out of the way.

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  • [–] 9 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    But... but why would I care? They had enough chances (and still have) to leave the sinking ship.

    People don't give a flying fuck about hotels, restaurants, local retailers, taxi companies and what not, but the second it's the "poor farmers" it's suddenly a huge moral issue.

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  • [–] 15 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Often dairy farming is a family business, and so you're born into it. These systems of subsidies are quite old, and so you have a lot of momentum. The debt, assets and revenues all pass over from generation to generation. It is hard to leave, and many do, mind you, through suicide.

    https://www.suicideinfo.ca/local_resource/agriculture-and-suicide/

    In democracies, farmers are a solid conservative block of support. Any discussion of removing their entitlements will unleash a wrath that the government can easily pay to avoid. I agree that large scale dairy is a problem, but I don't think government is going to help fix this by removing entitlements, rather by subsidizing the alternatives, and by offering bail outs to any dairy farmer who is willing to reforest their pasture, and sell that land back for conservation.

    This problem, in particular, is very expensive to fix.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago

    The same statement can be made about hotels, restaurants, taxi companies, local retailers. You are also usually born into it. Your parents run a pub and you take it over. Yet "Yay Airbnb!".

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    • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (2 children)

    So is having less humans on the planet...apparently.

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    • [–] 2 points 2 years ago

    Remember when Starbucks used to be a coffee shop? Now it is a cow fat milk shake shop, with whipping cream on top.

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    [–] 0 points 2 years ago (4 children)

    Cheese probably. Fucking love cheese. Pls diary isn't just milk. It's chocolate it cake it's so many things.

    I'm all for swapping to coconut milk for things that it can replace. If we can replicate it at some level or just plant a shit tonne of coconut trees. Potentially good for environment and nice for us.

    Cheese would be an issue though.

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  • [–] 3 points 2 years ago (1 child)

    Something tasting nice isn't a good reason to subsidize a destructive industry.

    There's less harmful and still great tasting alternatives.

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  • [–] -1 points 2 years ago

    No. No there is not. If there were everyone would happily change. Cheese is incredibly expensive at the moment. I'd something can be made that is superior to it and costs less. Plus doesn't involve abusing animals and the planet, sign me the fuck up.

    Until that happens we are stuck in this system.

    Viva revolution

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